NPR Removes Details on U.S.-Iran Negotiations, Adds Trump's Threats

A recent update to an NPR article on the escalating conflict between the US and Iran has removed several details on the stalled negotiations between the two countries. Instead, the article now focuses on President Donald Trump's latest threat to Iran. The removed section stated that Iran had insisted on maintaining its control over the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global energy supplies and sending oil prices higher. This information has been replaced with Trump's statement that the US would 'hit Iran VERY HARD TONIGHT' and 'assume total control' of Iran's oil and gas industries. The added section also includes the US military's continued blockade of Iranian ports and a strike on a merchant ship that killed three Indian sailors. These changes shift the focus of the article from the diplomatic efforts to the escalating military tensions between the US and Iran.

Related Changes

U.S. military says it's striking 'multiple targets' in Iran in 2nd day of renewed fire +1056 -978
Special Series Middle East conflict Conflict in the Middle East has been escalating. These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them. By The Associated Press A woman walks past a mural depicting a U.S. aircraft carrier under missile attack in downtown Tehran, Iran, on June 8.
− Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States launched a second round of airstrikes on Iran into Thursday morning after U.S.
+ Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump on Thursday said the U.S.
− President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would "pay the price" for stalled negotiations, and Iran responded with strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
+ would hit Iran "VERY HARD TONIGHT," threatening in a social media post to "assume total control" of Iran's oil and gas industries, including the key Kharg Island, in the "not too distant future." Middle East conflict U.S. and Iran exchange strikes after Apache helicopter downing The post come after the U.S and Iran traded strikes for a second day, pushing the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war. The American attack, which lasted into Thursday morning in Iran, appeared more intense and wider than the day before.
− Middle East conflict U.S.
+ Iran released little information on the extent of the damage and said it fired back at Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, as it had a day before. The U.S.
− and Iran exchange strikes after Apache helicopter downing The new U.S.
+ military continued to enforce its blockade of Iranian ports, saying Thursday it fired missiles to disable a tanker attempting to transport Iranian oil.
− assault across multiple Iranian cities came as efforts to negotiate an end the war again appeared stuck, with Iran insisting it would maintain its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies and sent oil prices higher.
+ An Indian official said a U.S.
− The American attack appeared more intense and wider than the day before, but Iran released little information on the extent of the damage.
+ strike on a different merchant ship earlier this week killed three Indian sailors.
− Kuwait closed its airspace for several hours because of the Thursday morning attack, but did not elaborate on any damage.
+ World Conflicts are on the rise globally, at the highest level since WWII, data shows It was the third time this week that back-and-forth strikes have rattled the Middle East.
− Jordan said it intercepted 20 Iranian missiles fired toward an area that is home to an air base hosting U.S.
+ The first involved attacks between Iran and Israel, followed by the two rounds of fire between the U.S.
− troops, though no one was hurt.
+ and Iran, which hit countries in the region that host American bases.
− And in Bahrain, the Interior Ministry said an 11-year-old girl had been hurt and cars and homes were damaged by "falling debris" from interceptions responding to the Iranian attack. The third back-and-forth strikes this week have tested a two-month shaky ceasefire.
+ The new exchange of fire came as efforts to negotiate an end to the war appeared stuck, with U.S.
− The first were attacks between Iran and Israel on Sunday into Monday, followed by the two rounds of fire between America and Tehran.
+ President Donald Trump warning that Tehran would "pay the price" for stalled negotiations.
− Meanwhile, an Indian official confirmed Thursday that a U.S.
+ Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that the U.S.
− attack on an oil tanker allegedly trying to violate the Iran blockade killed three Indian mariners, showing the danger to seafarers. Trump has urged Iran to sign a deal to end the war and suggested earlier this week that an agreement could be reached in days. But Iran has proved resilient despite weeks of heavy bombing.
+ attacks had "effectively rendered the ceasefire ...
− It is betting that its ability to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial passageway for oil and natural gas — gives it a strong bargaining chip.
+ meaningless," without saying it was abandoning it.
− Still, both countries seem to be looking for a way to end the conflict — if they can manage to sell it as a win at home.
+ Central to the negotiations is Iran's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics more expensive well beyond the region.
− Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also appears intent on pursuing goals that make compromise harder: the collapse of Iran's theocratic government, the elimination of its nuclear program, and the destruction of the Iranian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
+ Iran announced Thursday that the strait was closed — but it was unclear what that meant since it has severely restricted traffic through the waterway since early in the war and only a trickle of ships have gotten through.
The U.S.
− Central Command said its latest round of airstrikes ended just before sunrise Thursday in Iran.
+ military's Central Command disputed the claim — and Trump said Wednesday that the U.S.
− The military command said the strikes came "in response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression" and targeted "Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites." It did not elaborate on the damage done by the strikes, which it said were carried out by the U.S. Air Force, Marines and Navy.
+ has undertaken a secret mission in recent weeks to sneak ships through the passage.
− Explosions from the strikes echoed around Iran's capital, Tehran, as well as the port city of Bandar Abbas and other southern areas along the Strait of Hormuz.
+ The two sides also remain at odds over Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran insists is peaceful but which the U.S.
− Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard later said sites hit by the Americans included a manufacturing complex, a military barracks and a local Guard base outside of Tehran. Israel early Thursday also warned residents in the country's north to seek shelter after the detection of suspected incoming fire from Lebanon. Since the U.S.
+ and Israel fear could be used to build an atomic weapon due to its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
− and Israel started the war with Feb.
+ The U.S.
− 28 attacks on Iran, the conflict has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices and made food and other basics more expensive.
+ and Israel said a major reason they went to war on Feb. 28 was to ensure that Iran would never be able to do that.
− World Conflicts are on the rise globally, at the highest level since WWII, data shows The international benchmark for crude oil traded above $93 a barrel on Wednesday, up more than 25% since the start of the war.
+ Central Command said its latest round of airstrikes came "in response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression" and targeted "Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites." It did not elaborate on the damage done by the strikes, which it said ended just before sunrise Thursday in Iran.
− Trump said the U.S.
+ Explosions from the strikes echoed around Iran's capital, as well as the port city of Bandar Abbas and other southern areas along the Strait of Hormuz.
− military has since last month undertaken a "secret mission" to sneak oil shipments past Iran's forces in the Strait of Hormuz.
+ Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard later said sites hit included a manufacturing complex, a military barracks and a local Guard base outside of Tehran. Kuwait closed its airspace for several hours because of the attack, but did not elaborate on any damage.
− He said ships were slipping through at night, aided by the destruction of Iranian radar equipment.
+ Jordan said it intercepted 20 Iranian missiles fired toward an area that is home to a base hosting U.S. troops, though no one was hurt.
− Trump said as a result more than 100 million barrels of oil have evaded Iran's chokehold on the strait.
+ Bahrain's Interior Ministry said an 11-year-old girl was hurt and cars and homes were damaged by debris from interceptions responding to the Iranian attack. Meanwhile, Israel warned residents in the country's north to seek shelter after the detection of suspected incoming fire from Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group. Iran's ability to control the Strait of Hormuz has proved a strong bargaining chip since the narrow waterway's effective closure has severely disrupted the global economy. Trump said Wednesday that the U.S.
− There was no immediate confirmation of that figure, which roughly equals five days of oil shipments through the waterway before the war began.
+ military has undertaken a mission since last month to sneak oil shipments past Iran's forces in the strait, aided by the destruction of Iranian radar equipment.
− The military's role was not immediately clear.
+ Trump said as a result more than 100 million barrels of oil have evaded Iran's chokehold.
+ There was no immediate confirmation of that figure, which equals roughly five days of oil shipments through the waterway before the war began. But the seas remain dangerous for mariners.
The U.S.
− Central Command on Wednesday disputed Iran's claims that the Strait of Hormuz is closed, saying commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out.
+ military's Central Command said Thursday that it struck a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker attempting to evade the American blockade with a shipment of Iranian oil. It said Hellfire missiles were launched to disable the M/T Jalveer late Wednesday after the ship's crew failed to obey U.S. orders.
− But the seas remain dangerous for mariners.
+ It's the ninth merchant vessel the U.S.
− Indian Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced on X that three Indians missing after the American attack on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello had been killed.
+ military says it has disabled since imposing the blockade in mid-April in waters off Iran.
− The U.S.
+ Two of those ships came under U.S.
− military's Central Command had accused the Settebello of having "violated the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran." American forces fired into the ship's engine room to stop it Wednesday.
+ fire earlier this week.
− The leader of the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, condemned the attack on the Settebello.
+ Three Indian sailors were killed when American forces struck the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello on Tuesday, Indian Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced Thursday on X.
− Since the start of the Iran war, there have been 43 attacks on international shipping in the area, the IMO said.
+ The mariners had initially been reported missing.
− Another tanker near where the Settebello had been struck off Oman experienced an engine room fire on Thursday morning as well, according to the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Operations center.
+ U.S.
− It wasn't immediately clear what sparked the blaze, though initial suspicion fell on another U.S. attack.
+ Central Command said American forces issued warnings before firing on the ship, which it accused of trying to evade the blockade.
− Wary of high gas prices in the run-up to midterm elections in November, Trump seems to be looking for a quick win.
+ The leader of the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, condemned the attack.
− But he is also making demands that will be tough for Iran to swallow.
+ India's foreign ministry summoned a senior U.S. diplomat to convey its "deepest concerns" over the attack and formally protest the strike, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
+ Trump suggested earlier this week that an agreement with Iran could be close — but the exchanges of fire have called that into question, and big differences remain.
The U.S.
− wants to see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. While Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, that uranium is a short technical step from weapons-grade levels.
+ wants to see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is a short technical step from weapons-grade levels.
Iran is refusing to give up the uranium and demanding relief from sanctions. It also wants the release of frozen assets even before a final agreement is in place, something Trump rejected. Iran has insisted that any deal to end the war must also end fighting between its ally Hezbollah and Israel.
+ But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing his goal of destroying the militant group.
− A Qatari diplomatic delegation, negotiating in coordination with the U.S., left Tehran on Thursday morning after holding talks, said an official with knowledge of the team who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the mediation.
+ A Qatari diplomatic delegation, negotiating in coordination with the U.S., left Tehran on Thursday morning after holding talks, according to an official with knowledge of the team who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the mediation. Pakistan, meanwhile, expressed deep concern over rising tensions and urged both Iran and the U.S. to adhere to the ceasefire.
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